1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light module that includes an organic electroluminescence light emitting device (hereinafter, referred to as an organic EL light emitting device) and that is used in lighting equipment, LCD backlights, various display apparatuses, and the like.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, there are known light modules that include a planar light emitting device that is an organic EL light emitting device (see, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2007-299740). FIG. 6 shows a structure of such a light module (a light module 101). The light module 101 includes: a planar light emitting device 102; a wiring board 103 for feeding power to the planar light emitting device 102; an optical sheet 104 provided on the light emitting surface of the planar light emitting device 102; a power feeding connecting member 105 for electrically connecting electrodes of the planar light emitting device 102 and a wiring pattern (not shown) of the wiring board 103; and a casing 106 for accommodating these components.
The optical sheet 104 adjusts the distribution and the refractive index of light emitted from the planar light emitting device 102. The power feeding connecting member 105 is formed as a copper lead frame, flexible wiring board, or the like. The casing 106 has an opening 107 for letting out the light emitted from the planar light emitting device 102.
In the light module 101 having the above configuration, a gap is likely to occur at the position of a step formed by the opening 107 of the casing 106 and the optical sheet 104. Therefore, dust or moisture is likely to enter the inside of the module through the gap. Packing or the like may be provided to seal the gap for the purpose of preventing the dust and moisture from entering the inside of the module. This, however, makes it difficult to reduce the thickness of the module. As a result, the feature of the planar light emitting device 102, i.e., being a thin planar light source, cannot be taken advantage of.